Cypher's Seven
by BuggyQ
Summary: Richard is put in an uncomfortable position when he, Kahlan and Zedd step in to help a town with a D’Haran infestation.
1. Chapter 1

Cypher's Seven

Yes, it's a shameless ripoff of a shameless ripoff of a pretty good 50's movie. I'm a fan of caper movies (How To Steal A Million, Ocean's Eleven, Kelly's Heroes), so it was a natural to try that with LotS. Here's hoping I pull it off with even a tiny fraction of the style of those great movies… Like I said a while back, I'm trying to avoid the angst for a while, and just have some fun.

On a different note, could the writers of the show please get out of my head? I had the idea for "fake out the D'Harans with a non-existent curse" before Cursed aired. Luckily, this story is wayyyyy different in plot, content, and tone. Thank the spirits.

Set post-Mirror (and after my story A Winter's Tale—don't worry, Kahlan's going to have a much better time in this story. The few references to Middleton are from that story—you can read this without it, but it'll be a little more understandable if you have.) It's also set before Cursed.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (well, Richard, Kahlan and Zedd—Javan and Co. are mineminemine!!!) or the show, nor do I get any money out of writing this stuff, more's the pity.

Summary: Richard is put in an uncomfortable position when he, Kahlan and Zedd step in to help a town with a D'Haran infestation.

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The door to the inn crashed open, and an emaciated, wild-eyed man staggered in. He leaned heavily against the doorjam, and called out, "The Seeker! Has anyone seen the Seeker?"

The chatter in the inn died as the tension rose. The innkeeper looked nervously at a dark corner of the inn, where three people in hooded cloaks sat.

A burly man with a bushy red beard who'd been sitting at a table near the door stood up, his hand resting significantly on the handle of the axe at his belt. "That's a dangerous person to be asking for, these days. Who asks for the Seeker, and why?" he said.

One of the hooded figures rose, moving gracefully toward the door, but keeping to the more shadowed edges of the room. The other two rose a moment later, the taller one moving closer to the bar, the other following the first, a few steps behind.

"Please," the newcomer said, "please, you have to help me find the Seeker. My village…" He swayed, and the man with the axe moved forward and caught him by the arm to steady him. The newcomer smiled at him gratefully, and continued. "My village is dying. The D'Harans, they've taken everything—every bit of food we had. We're starving, and all because a spy told the D'Harans we'd given the Seeker shelter three months ago."

There was a rumble of disapproval in the room. The man with the axe glanced over at the hooded figure near him. A woman's alto voice came from the depths of the hood. "It's all right." She lifted the hood back to reveal dark hair and blue eyes. She nodded gratefully at the man with the sword. "He's telling the truth, Javan."

"I wish he weren't," said the young man behind her, also pulling back his hood. "It seems like for every thing we do to make life better in the Midlands, the D'Harans follow and make it twice as bad."

"Seeker! Confessor!" the man breathed, and threw himself at their feet. "Please, please, my people need your help."

"Get up," Richard said, clearly embarrassed. "Zedd," he called to the third hooded figure, who'd pulled back his hood to reveal a long, craggy face, "could you bring this man some food?" Richard helped the man to Javan's seat. "What's your name?" he asked the man.

"Henrik," he said, looking back and forth from Richard to Kahlan pleadingly.

"Tell me, Henrik," said Zedd, coming over from the bar with a plate of bread and cheese, "what village is it, and how did this all come about?" He took a bite out of a chunk of bread.

Henrik seized the bread from Zedd and tore into it desperately. He swallowed, suddenly looking guilty. He shook his head sadly. "That's the first food I've had in three days," he said. "And it's worse than that for the people I left behind in Hamilton."

Kahlan frowned. "But…we've never even been to Hamilton," she said, looking up at Richard in confusion.

"No," Henrik said. "The spy lied. Though we certainly would have given the Seeker assistance had you needed it," he added, nodding ingratiatingly at Richard. "But it doesn't matter. The D'Harans are looking to make examples of anyone, now that the Midlands are starting to gain hope."

Richard looked over at Zedd, shaking his head in frustration. "Great! Now they're going after people we've never even met!"

Javan reached over and grabbed Richard's shoulder. "It won't make any difference, Richard. The Midlands are behind you, more every day."

Kahlan shot Javan a grateful look. He reminded her a bit of Chase, at least in his manner, and she knew he'd struck Richard the same way. She was glad they'd met him with the Resistance in Middleton, especially given how that meeting happened. Javan and his wife, Fiona, had been very kind to her while she was recovering from her injuries.

"But--" Richard began, clearly not ready to let go of his frustration.

"Richard," Zedd said placatingly. "You knew this wasn't going to be easy. Rahl has never had any qualms about hurting innocents."

"The question is," Kahlan said, looking down at Henrik, who was shoveling in bread and cheese as fast as he could, "what are we going to do about it?"

"First," Zedd said, "we need to know as much about the situation as possible." He patted Henrik on the shoulder.

An hour later, after Henrik had told them of the local garrison with over fifty soldiers, the constant patrols around the town to ensure no food got in, and the regular sweeps they made through the town to gather up any food that might have slipped through, and a half a dozen other bits of information that made the situation sound impossible, Richard sighed in frustration, cradling his forehead in his hand.

"So," Zedd said, "to summarize our problem: we need to get the food they've already collected back from the D'Harans so the people of Hamilton don't starve."

"Without the D'Harans knowing we took it," added Richard, looking up with a gloomy expression.

"And in such a way that they leave Hamilton alone after we're gone," Kahlan finished.

The three of them looked at each other for a long moment. "Gosh," Richard said at last, "why couldn't they give us a hard problem?"

"Oh, Richard," Zedd said airily, "the Seeker does six things like this before breakfast every day. Hadn't you heard?"

Javan laughed heartily, but Richard didn't seem to find it very amusing.

"Stop it, all of you," Kahlan said. "This is serious. What we have to do is break this down into smaller pieces, and deal with each of them separately."

Richard frowned at her. "Like how?"

Kahlan thought for a moment. "Well, I have a pretty good idea about how to get inside the garrison." There was something about the look on her face that made Richard worry about what the specifics of that idea were. "And once there, I'm betting Zedd can provide me with a little something to give the soldiers to keep them out of our hair while we get the food out." She fell silent, thinking, and then smiled. "And with enough time and help, we can move it all out…and replace it with sacks of spoiled grain and rotten fruit," she finished, and looked proudly at them, pleased with her ingenuity.

Zedd looked at her appraisingly, and then nodded slowly. "But that's the easy part," he said warily. "And it assumes that you can deal with the entire garrison, something I'm not quite so sanguine about. The more difficult question is, how do we keep them from coming after the village again?"

"I'm working on that," Kahlan said, with a hint of defensiveness.

"Wait," Richard said. "I might have an idea. Zedd, back when we were trying to rescue Renn, you remember how you used that gold ball thing with all the shadows in it to fool the Dragon Corps into letting you join them?" Richard looked over at Kahlan, who was rolling her eyes. "What?" he said.

"'Gold ball thing?'" Kahlan said witheringly.

"Yes," Zedd said, choosing to ignore both the simplistic description of a very complicated bit of sorcery and Kahlan's sarcasm, and wondering where Richard was going with this. "I remember."

"Well," Richard said, looking annoyed with Kahlan, "what if we could get the D'Harans to believe that the village is haunted, or cursed, or infested with shadows, or something?"

"Haunted, or cursed, or…something," Zedd said, trying to decide which feeling was stronger in him at the moment, the irritation at Richard's blithe assumption that such a thing would be easy, or the annoyance that Richard had actually come up with a good idea. _Does it really matter?_ He sighed, and gave the matter some thought, aware that both Kahlan and Richard were watching him impatiently. "I suppose I could come up with some fairly convincing illusions to that effect," he said finally.

"In order for that to work, though, we'd have to have the soldiers come to the village to witness those illusions," Kahlan said, one side of her mouth rising in a devious smile. "And while they're there…"

"…you can be clearing out the food at the garrison," Richard finished for her, picking up her grin, "without nearly as many soldiers to worry about."

"And with a little preparation, we can call down the curse…" Zedd paused dramatically, a smile curling up the corner of his mouth in an echo of Kahlan's, "…in retribution for the village's help to the Seeker. If the D'Harans believe that the punishment they wanted has been replaced by something worse, they won't bother coming back to finish the job. By the spirits," he said, sounding more confident, "this might just work."

"But we have a lot to do," Kahlan said. "And not a lot of time."

"Right," Richard said, jumping to his feet. "We need to get to Hamilton. But before we go, Zedd, make sure you have what you need for our little curse scenario. Kahlan, you do the same for whatever you need to get into the garrison. I'll see if we can recruit some help to put together the replacements for the food we'll be stealing back, and to manage the logistics of that maneuver."

"Count me in," Javan said, clapping Richard on the shoulder. "And I'm sure I can round up some men to help out."

Kahlan looked at him, and smiled what seemed to Richard like a dangerous smile. "How about some women, Javan?"

***


	2. Chapter 2

Cypher's Seven, Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still don't own these characters (well, Richard, Kahlan and Zedd—all the rest are mineminemine!!!) or the show, nor do I get any money out of writing this stuff, more's the pity.

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Early the next morning, Richard sat at the tavern table, trying to decide whether to wake Kahlan or not. They'd been up most of the night figuring out what they were going to do to help Hamilton. She had finally fallen asleep a couple of hours earlier, laying her head down on her crossed arms on the table. _She can't be comfortable like that_, he thought, but it was nice to see her sleeping. She'd had a difficult time after the events in Middleton. And there was something so peaceful about her when she slept, he hated to disturb her. _She's so beautiful._

There was a clatter from the tavern's back room, and Kahlan jolted awake, blinking sleepily. "What--?" she said, and Zedd came out of the back room, waving a flask. _Damn you, Zedd,_ Richard thought, annoyed.

"Step one complete!" Zedd said. "If you can manage to get this into the guards' ale, they'll be out for at least half the night. And I included a special touch to add a bit of verisimilitude to our little charade."

Kahlan nodded, then winced, stretching her neck.

"Here," Richard said, standing and moving behind her. He kneaded the muscles of her neck with his thumbs, and she sighed in contentment.

Zedd looked irritated. "And what, exactly, have you two been doing while I've been slaving over this little task?"

"We've been coming up with a plan," Richard said defensively.

"And putting together a team," Kahlan said, glancing up at the wizard sideways. _He wanted us to ask about his potion_, she thought, amused, and then stopped thinking again as Richard's hands found a new spot to work on. "Oooo," she whispered.

"And where is this team?" Zedd said dryly.

"Here," Javan said, coming through the door. He was followed by a stunning woman with red hair, an older woman with a long nose and a hunched back and two other women. "Let me introduce you. Well, you already know Fiona." Javan's redheaded wife nodded at them, smiling warmly. "I think these other two will meet your specifications as well, Kahlan," Javan said, grinning as he pointed to the two younger women, who Richard noted were both rather attractive…and well-endowed. "Meet Sylvia and Jasmine." They smiled flirtatiously at Richard, and he wondered again what exactly Kahlan had in mind. She'd been very close-mouthed about that part of the plan, only going so far as to say it was certain to work.

"This," Javan gestured to the older woman, "is Ophelia. We thought she'd make a proper witch for our curse." Ophelia grinned, and then cackled dramatically.

Zedd laughed out loud. "Oh, you and I are going to have such fun," he said, grinning toothily at Ophelia.

Javan laughed. "I've also rounded up a handful of men. I figure we can recruit a few more from Hamilton."

"So," Zedd said, turning to Richard. "We have our team. What is the plan?"

Richard grinned and stepped back to his side of the table, unaware of Kahlan's disappointment that he'd stopped massaging her neck, but he didn't sit down. He was practically vibrating with energy. "First, Henrik says there's a regular patrol of D'Harans that sweeps around the town on a regular basis. Tonight, just after sundown, we," he said, gesturing at Kahlan, "will take Javan and company out to take out that patrol…"

***

Richard crept forward and settled in behind a tree, watching the clearing below in the fading evening light. He looked across and saw Kahlan's face for an instant. She returned his smile, then disappeared as they heard the approach of soldiers in chainmail.

There were ten of them. _Perfect_, Richard thought. _With the five men from Hamilton, we outnumber them. And ten uniforms for our ten men_. When they were halfway into the clearing, he gave the signal. Javan and his men charged in from behind, yelling wildly. As the soldiers turned to face the attack, Richard and Kahlan joined the fray from the opposite direction. Richard kept an eye on Kahlan as they fought, waiting for her to make her move to confess one of the soldiers. This was the part of the plan he was most concerned about. _Well, the part of __this part__ of the plan I'm most concerned about. So many things could go wrong…_

Kahlan fought smoothly, taking out two soldiers before they were even aware of her presence. Richard parried a wild thrust from another soldier, and shifted closer to Kahlan. He watched as she blocked an overhand sword strike with her dagger, sweeping the sword to the side and down as she dropped her other dagger and grabbed the soldier by the throat. The soldier's eyes went wide, visible even through the slits of his helmet, and then his eyes went dark. Richard slashed his way through another soldier, and caught Kahlan as she went momentarily limp. Richard looked up at the newly-confessed soldier, who was looking adoringly down at Kahlan. "Get her out of here," Richard said to him, helping her get to her feet. "Get her into the trees and then wait for us."

The soldier took Kahlan's arm. She leaned unsteadily on him at first as they moved away, but by the time they reached the treeline, she was moving on her own.

Richard turned back to the fight, but it was already over. The last D'Haran soldier went down under Javan's savage axe blow. Javan turned to grin at Richard. "I love a battle in the evening!" he said.

Richard nodded at the bearded man in satisfaction. "All right, Javan. Let's turn you and your men into D'Haran soldiers." They began gathering the uniforms and equipment together, while Richard went to find Kahlan.

She and the soldier were already coming out of the trees. "Do you understand?" she was saying to the soldier.

"Yes, my lady."

"And if anything goes wrong in Hamilton," Kahlan said, "you are to find the Seeker, and defend him with your life."

"But—" the soldier and Richard both said at the same time.

"No buts," Kahlan said, stopping them both. "Those are my orders," she said to the soldier. "You will do as I say."

"Yes, my lady." He took off at a run toward the garrison.

Kahlan turned back to Richard, and her look dared him to question her orders. Richard swallowed his objections reluctantly. "Are they ready?" Kahlan asked, nodding at Javan and the others.

"Just about. Back to Hamilton?" he said.

She nodded. "And on to stage two. Ten down. Forty something to go." She stepped past him, and he turned to follow, but his look after her was pensive.

***


	3. Chapter 3

Cypher's Seven, Chapter 3

Disclaimer: If I owned Richard, Kahlan and Zedd, I wouldn't be posting here. I'd be on a beach in New Zealand. But all the rest are still mineminemine!!!

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As they waited in the town square of Hamilton to start the next stage of their plan, Richard thought back to their conversation with Zedd about it. "And how exactly will you get inside the garrison, Kahlan?" Zedd had asked, and Richard had been glad the wizard had finally broached the subject.

"Fiona has gathered some clothes from some of the other local women," Kahlan had said reluctantly, glancing nervously at Richard.

"Clothes?" Zedd had said, his eyebrows rising. "What kind of clothes?"

"Well…dresses." Kahlan had looked slightly embarrassed. "And we—"

"You don't need to say any more," Zedd had said, also glancing over at Richard.

Richard knew why. He'd seen Fiona and the other two women with some of the gowns they'd found, and had a pretty good idea what Kahlan had in mind. And he wasn't happy about it.

And now that Kahlan, Fiona and the other women were about to leave, he was even less happy about it.

"Are you sure there isn't another way?" he asked Kahlan for the fourth time since they'd gotten back to Hamilton.

Kahlan whirled to face him. "Richard, what is wrong with you?" she said, her eyes flashing. He'd been strange since Middleton, never letting her out of his sight and treating her like she was made of glass. _This has to stop_, she thought. _We'll never get anywhere with him spending all this energy worrying about me._

"I--" Richard said, and stopped, looking up and down her remarkably different appearance. Her hair was caught up in a way uncomfortably similar to the way she'd worn it when they'd bluffed their way past the barrier on their way to Hartland. He was surprised at how much it accented the length of her neck. But it was the dress that was really… _What?_ a part of him asked. _You know what_, the honest part of him thought. _She looks incredible. And that's the problem._

"Richard?" she asked, waiting, her hands on her hips. Hips that were clothed in a rich burgundy gown with a full skirt. Above the skirt, the deep color of the bodice highlighted her perfect skin, while the shape of it enhanced—and called attention to—every curve. His eyes settled on one particular set of very prominent curves. "Richard…" Kahlan said, and her voice was dangerously quiet.

Richard wrenched his eyes upward. "It's just…Kahlan, this is dangerous," he said.

"You said that already," she said, exasperated. "And I'll say what I said again—it's no more dangerous than anything else we've done lately." Her look dared him to say more, but there was a hint of a smile in the look that made Richard even more nervous.

_She's enjoying this_, he thought, incredulous.

"Everyone ready?" Zedd said, coming up and looking admiringly at the Confessor. "Why, Kahlan, who'd have thought you had it in you?"

She smiled at the wizard, and turned with a twirl of her skirt toward Fiona, whose red hair looked even more vivid against her deep green velvet gown. She was standing next to Sylvia and Jasmine, who were even more scandalously dressed. _If that's possible_, Richard thought, carefully avoiding looking at them. "Are you ready, ladies?" Kahlan asked.

"Absolutely," Fiona said, smirking at Richard's wide-eyed look.

"All right," Kahlan said. "Javan!" she called to their friend, who marched over with the rest of his men in their D'Haran uniforms. "Time to go. " She turned back to Richard. "Don't worry," she said, smiling reassuringly. "We'll be back before you know it."

They both glanced up as a runner came from the hill just south of the town. "The D'Harans are coming," he said breathlessly.

"Then we need to move," Javan said, and they all clambered aboard the three wagons they'd rounded up and set off for the north road.

Richard watched them go with an uneasy feeling.

"What is it, boy?" Zedd said from behind him.

"Why does Kahlan have to go?" Richard said, turning to face the wizard. "I could--"

"She doesn't have to go," Zedd interrupted. "But what if things go wrong here? Would you rather have her facing down forty D'Haran soldiers, or a handful? No, you're needed here, and she has particular skills that are needed there." Zedd cleared his throat significantly. "Besides, I seem to remember all this being your idea."

"But I didn't—" Richard started to say, then sighed and looked down at the ground. "I guess you're right," he said, sounding remarkably like a sulky child.

"This isn't just about the danger, is it?" Zedd said, trying to keep from smirking like Fiona had. "It's that dress."

Richard looked up, his cheeks flaming. "But Zedd, those are D'Harans she's going up against. You know what it's like in those garrisons. Women are all they talk about! They get one look at her, and--"

"Kahlan is well aware of what she's facing," Zedd said, and Richard found his mildness infuriating.

"But Zedd--!"

"Richard," Zedd said, shaking his head. "Had it occurred to you that Kahlan might want to do this?"

"Of course I--" Richard stopped and blinked at him, realizing there was something else going on here that he wasn't getting. "What do you mean?" he said, frowning.

"I mean, Kahlan has lived her entire adult life as a Confessor, knowing that every time she met a man who found her desirable, once he found out she was a Confessor, he'd be afraid of her." Zedd looked at the small party disappearing into the forest on the north edge of town. "I think she's enjoying the chance to be admired by men without that hanging over her, if only for a little while."

"But I'm not afraid--" Richard started.

Zedd turned back to him, and the look of sadness on his face stopped Richard short. "When you look at her that way, Richard, all she can allow herself to see is what would happen if she gave in to her desires. How could she enjoy that?"

Richard's look of frustration gave way to one of shame.

"Don't worry, my boy," Zedd said, finally allowing himself a small smile. "I'm sure she enjoyed the fact that she was making you so jealous."

Richard couldn't decide how he wanted to take that.

***

"Okay, Javan, you know the plan," Kahlan whispered as they crouched in the forest close to the walled garrison.

"You go in, I wait," Javan said, not sounding particularly thrilled with the plan himself. "When you open the gate, we come in and do the switch. Easy."

"If any D'Haran questions you, you've been ordered to deliver the food from Hamilton to the People's Palace. And," Kahlan lowered her voice so the others couldn't hear, "you don't come in after us if the gate doesn't open." Kahlan hated to ask it, but she couldn't bear the thought of Javan dying trying a futile rescue. "If something goes wrong, I'll make sure Fiona gets out. I don't want you risking--"

"Why don't you let me decide what I will or won't risk?" Javan said gruffly. "Do you really think I could go back to Hamilton and face Richard if I let something happen to you? Besides, what's the point of having these uniforms if we don't make use of them?"

Kahlan started to protest, and then realized he was probably right. _So I'll just have to make sure nothing goes wrong_, she thought grimly.

Moments later, the four women walked up to the gate of the garrison.

"Halt!" the guard in the tower said. "What are you doing here?"

Kahlan stepped forward into the halo of light cast by the torches at the gate. "We're here because we're tired of starving, and we'd be willing to do…" she paused, looking up at the guard in the tower provocatively, "anything for a decent meal."

The guard looked uncomfortable, glancing back into the garrison uncertainly. "I…I don't…" he stammered.

Kahlan smiled. "We saw your captain leave," she said. "While the cat's away, why don't you invite us in…to play?" She practically purred the last two words.

_Oh, she __is__ good_, Fiona thought admiringly. _I wonder how a Confessor learned to do that. Or is she a natural?_

The gate opened, and another soldier looked out, grinning stupidly.

"Martin, what are you doing?" the guard in the tower called down in a stage whisper. "The captain--!"

"Oh, shut it, Garth," the soldier at the gate said. "I haven't seen a woman in a month. And a woman like this in years," he said admiringly. He opened the gate wider and gestured them in. "Come in, ladies."

Kahlan smiled, and stepped forward, followed by Fiona and the others. _Into the lion's den_, Fiona thought, and they walked through the gate.

***


	4. Chapter 4

Cypher's Seven, Chapter 4

Disclaimer: If I owned Richard, Kahlan and Zedd, I wouldn't be posting here. I'd be on a beach in New Zealand…with Craig. But all the rest are still mineminemine!!!

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The D'Haran commander marched at the head of his detachment of soldiers, studying the town as they approached. He saw no sign of the Seeker, or of the Resistance fighters Barden had talked about. "Barden!" he called, and the soldier ran forward to join him. "You said you saw the Seeker?"

"Yes, Captain Warren," the man answered. There was something odd about him, but the Captain couldn't put his finger on it. "Sergeant Riks chased after them toward the town, and sent me back to get reinforcements."

The town seemed too quiet to Warren, too, but nothing he could point to if the general asked him why he hadn't gone after the Seeker when he had the chance. He swore under his breath, then ordered the column forward toward the town.

As they entered the south gate, an old woman staggered out of the tavern just up the street. She turned, shaking her fist at the door, where the tavernkeeper stood looking disapprovingly at her. "So you'll help the Seeker," she shouted, "but when an old widow comes, suddenly you don't have enough food!"

"Go away, old woman!" the tavernkeeper shouted. "Find another village to sponge off of!"

The old woman spat. "You think you can get away with this?" she cried. "You should have helped me, barkeep. Now your whole village will pay the price, and anybody who has anything to do with you!"

The tavernkeeper snorted. "Tell me another," he said derisively. "Now get out of here, before I set my dogs on you!"

But the old woman didn't leave. Instead, she held up her arms and began chanting. Her hands glowed, and Captain Warren stepped back uneasily. There was a crack of thunder, and the woman's voice rose. The tavernkeeper staggered, reaching out for the railing along the steps, then fell forward, tumbling down them, groaning in agony.

The woman continued chanting, and there was more thunder. The D'Harans began shifting uneasily, and Warren barked at them, "Stand your ground!"

The woman stopped chanting and turned to look at them. "I'd leave this place if I were you, captain," she said, smiling. "This town is cursed." Next to her, the tavernkeeper stopped writhing, his face a mottled red in the torchlight. His eyes stared sightlessly up at the starry sky. He wasn't breathing. Seconds passed…

And then he sat up.

***

Kahlan was starting to get nervous. She'd tried twice to get Zedd's potion into the ale, but both times had nearly been caught. _This flask is just too obvious_, she thought, fingering it through the deep pocket of her gown and wishing Zedd had made the potion a bit more concentrated.

The other women were looking more than a bit nervous, too. The eight soldiers in the room had been taking turns pawing at them. They'd managed to put the men off by demanding food first, but that was only going to work so long. Kahlan sighed silently. _I guess it's time for drastic measures_, she thought.

"So, Martin, is it?" she said to the soldier who'd let them in, picking him as the least likable soldier in the room. He looked up at her from across the table, and Kahlan felt a flutter of uneasiness at the hungry look he gave her. "Why don't you come over here and tell me more about yourself?" she said.

He practically leaped across the table, and Kahlan found herself pressed hard by his weight against the back of the chair she was sitting in, the dagger at his belt digging painfully into her side. _Well, at least this part will be easy_, she thought as he pressed his lips unpleasantly against her neck. His breath reeked, and Kahlan wrinkled her nose in disgust. She cupped her hand around the back of his neck and let her Confessor's power flow. Martin froze for a moment, and she felt the familiar weakness overtake her. She sagged back against the chair, but managed to whisper in his ear, "Keep doing what you were doing."

His enthusiasm at that task was more than a little unnerving, but Kahlan was too tired to do much about it, at least for the moment. She tried to focus instead on gathering her strength. It was returning fast, and she reached down into her pocket to pull out Zedd's flask again. "Martin," she whispered, "I need you to put this into the ale." He pulled back a little to look into her eyes as she pressed the flask into his hand, glad to be getting that hand away from what it had been doing. "Be sure none of the others see you. Then refill all their glasses, but not the women's. Do you understand?" He nodded and stood, turning to the side table where the keg of ale stood. He picked it up, shook it and said, "We're almost out of ale. I'll go get another keg."

He left the room, and Kahlan held her breath, hoping his manner hadn't been different enough to alert the others, and hoping she didn't look too odd herself. But they were too occupied trying to convince Fiona and her two friends to follow Kahlan's example to pay any attention to Martin. He came back, and passed around full mugs of ale to the soldiers.

It seemed to Kahlan that it took forever for the potion to take effect, but it wasn't really that long. Soon, the soldiers were all draped across the table, snoring loudly. Kahlan reached over to shake the one nearest her, and he slid off the table and flopped limply onto the bench he was sitting on.

"I'd say they're out," Fiona said, dropping the hand of a soldier she was holding up. It fell with a thud onto the soldier's head. "Nice work, Kahlan. Now what?"

"Now, Martin, I need you to take a cup of ale up to Garth," Kahlan said.

Martin frowned. "Garth doesn't drink," he said.

_Of course_, Kahlan thought. She looked around at the soldiers around her for a moment, thinking. "Okay, Martin, take them to the storeroom where the food from Hamilton is being stored. Get it open and start bringing the food up here. I'll take care of Garth," she said, picking up her skirts and starting out of the room.

"But Kahlan," Fiona said, looking worried. "How--?"

Kahlan turned to look at her, as if the answer were obvious.

"Oh," she said. "But…can you do another one so soon?"

"Well," Kahlan said, "it's not as though we have a lot of other options, do we? Javan's probably ready to break the gates down already, and that would make all this effort pointless." She smiled. "Don't worry, I can manage it." She headed out to the guard tower, thinking, _Sure, I can manage it. But I'll regret it in the morning_. She quietly climbed the ladder to the tower, ignoring Garth's startled exclamation.

"The boys inside sent me out here to show you a good time, Garth," she said, stepping forward seductively.

He backed up, looking terrified.

_How old is this boy_? she thought, suddenly regretting what she was about to do, but for different reasons than before.

"You…you don't have to…" he stammered, and his voice wobbled oddly. "I…I won't tell the captain…"

"Garth, how old are you?" Kahlan asked, turning off her sex appeal abruptly.

"What--?" he said, confused. "I'm…sixteen."

Kahlan sighed, hoping she wasn't making a mistake. "Why are you here?" she asked.

He blinked at her, clearly baffled by the direction this conversation was taking. "I…was assigned here, by--"

"Not why are you here, in this place. I mean, why are you in the army? Do you like it?"

"Like it?" he squeaked. "I…no, no, I don't like it," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "I'm only here because they threatened to kill the daughters of any family in our village that didn't send a son to join the army."

"And do you approve of what Darken Rahl is doing to the Midlands?" Kahlan asked quietly, tensing in case he answered wrong.

He frowned, then looked away. "No, I don't." He turned back to her, appeal in his eyes. "But what can I do? I'm just one soldier."

She smiled at him kindly. "You can do one, simple thing. Open the gate, and ignore what you see."

"What?" he said. "Why? What are you doing?"

"I'm feeding my village," she said.

"But…but they'll just come and take it back!" he said. "And they'll punish you." The concern in his voice reassured her that she was making the right choice.

"Don't worry," she said, smiling. "We have a plan."

***


	5. Chapter 5

Cypher's Seven, Chapter 5

Disclaimer: If I owned Richard, Kahlan and Zedd, I wouldn't be posting here. I'd be on a beach in New Zealand…with Craig…and an Epic Pale Ale. But all the rest are still mineminemine!!!

*******************************************************************************

The soldiers gasped, watching as the tavernkeeper stood up, swaying. He turned, looking at them, but his face was horrible—there were lumps on it, and it was deathly pale. As they watched in horror, the lumps burst open and oozed a viscous black fluid.

"What in the name of--?" Warren said uneasily.

A woman came running out of a nearby house, howling, then fell, convulsing, at the feet of the old woman, who looked dispassionately down at her. She stopped struggling, lay still for a moment, then slowly rose to her feet, looking the same as the tavernkeeper. They both began shambling slowly toward the soldiers, who stepped back uneasily.

"Don't touch them!" the old woman shouted. "Not if you value your lives."

"What did you do?" Warren said, watching the approaching horrors, his certainty that this was some sort of trick ebbing away. "Who are you?"

"I warned them," the old woman said, an unholy glee in her eyes, "but they wouldn't listen. Oh, no! And now they're going to pay. This town is cursed!" she cried, her hand stretched out toward the soldiers. "Any who stay here will end up like these," and she pointed ominously at the two figures slowly moving toward the soldiers. "As will any who touch this town or anything from it!" She laughed, a ghastly, high-pitched cackle that in any other situation would have sounded ridiculous, but here Warren found terrifying.

One of the soldiers near the end of the column turned and ran out the gate. The rest of the column shifted uneasily, some of them looking as if they were about to follow the first. Warren turned, his instincts as a commander helping him to recover, and barked, "Shoot him down! And do the same to any man who follows him!" An archer turned and fired, and the soldier gave a cry of pain, fell forward, and lay still.

Warren turned back to the old woman, and found the tavernkeeper only a few feet away, reaching out to him. He stepped back, raising his sword.

"Don't try to strike him down," the old woman cackled. "You can't kill a man who's already dead!"

The archer who'd shot down the runner edged toward the gate, and some of the others followed suit. One closer to the front backed away from the woman who was reaching out to him like the tavernkeeper was to the captain. Then a man flung open a door right next to the column of soldiers, and started down the steps, his face oozing black fluid like the others. There were shrieks of terror and pain from further into the town.

The tavernkeeper moved closer to Warren, who raised his sword to strike. There was a faint sound of voices from inside the tavern, but Warren paid no attention. He was too busy trying futilely to swing his sword, which suddenly seemed to be frozen in midair. He watched in terror, unable to pull away, to do anything, as the tavernkeeper reached forward and grabbed him by the throat. There was a flash, and the captain fell bonelessly to the ground.

Several of the soldiers yelled in fear, the one closest to their fallen captain falling backwards as he tried to scramble away. But none of them ran away. Until the captain rose…and his face was oozing black pus…

***

Kahlan opened the gate and waved Javan in, then turned to head back for the door. Fiona was a few steps away, smiling over Kahlan's shoulder at Javan. Kahlan's eyes widened as she saw movement coming from the shadows behind Fiona. _Damn!_ she thought. A soldier was running toward them, his sword raised to strike the redhead. _Why didn't I check with Martin to see if we had all the soldiers? I'm an idiot._

"Fiona!" Kahlan yelled, running forward and shoving Fiona out of the way. The soldier's sword was swinging down towards Kahlan, and she dove under it, rolling into the soldier's legs as he ran, and he tumbled over her. She rolled back, flailing her arm to try to grab him before he could get up. Her hand closed on his wrist, and she let her power go.

He froze, and she fell back, gasping with the effort as the energy flowed through her hand and into the soldier. "My lady," he said, rising to his knees next to her, "forgive me."

Kahlan nodded weakly, releasing the soldier, and Javan skidded to a stop just in front of her. "Are you all right, Kahlan?" Fiona said, grabbing her arm as she struggled to her knees. Javan was looking warily at the soldier kneeling beside her, his axe ready to strike if the soldier moved.

"I…" she said, and took a shuddering breath. She lifted her head tiredly to look at the soldier she'd just confessed. "Are there any other soldiers in the garrison?" she asked.

"Only Garth in the watchtower, my lady. I checked in the common room, and saw the others drunk, and then I saw you at the gate."

Kahlan nodded, relieved. _Better late than never._ "Then you go help Javan," she nodded at her friend, "get the wagons loaded. We don't have much time."

"Yes, Confessor," the soldier said, and Javan looked uncertainly at Kahlan.

"I'm okay, Javan. Go." Javan nodded, and they headed for the wagons waiting at the gate, Javan looking back at her worriedly as they went.

"Kahlan?" Fiona said, still grasping her arm.

Kahlan stayed on her knees, leaning on one hand, and longing for a soft bed. _Soon_, she thought. _Just get through the next couple of hours, and you can have a nice, long rest._ She sighed, and staggered to her feet, Fiona helping her.

"You saved my life," Fiona said, and there was awe in her voice.

Kahlan looked sideways at her, swaying, and said, "I'd rather face Darken Rahl alone than have to tell Javan you'd died because of me." She grinned tiredly.

Fiona smiled back, but she wasn't going to let Kahlan deflect her thanks that easily. "I won't forget this, Confessor," she said. "But for now, let's see if we can finish this job without anything else going wrong."

Kahlan nodded, and forced herself to walk slowly toward the wagons rolling into the garrison.

***


	6. Chapter 6

Cypher's Seven, Chapter 6

Disclaimer: If I owned Richard, Kahlan and Zedd, I wouldn't be posting here. I'd be on a beach in New Zealand…with Craig…and an Epic Pale Ale…and a personal masseur. But all the rest are still mineminemine!!!

********************************************************************************

When the captain started shambling toward them, the soldiers lost all interest in following his orders. They ran, some of them screaming in fear, stumbling past the body of their dead comrade. Once they'd all made it out of the gate, they found themselves in a dense fog. They ran forward blindly, desperate to get away from the horrors behind them. As they ran, they heard the old woman cry after them, "Tell anyone who comes here that those who pass the fog will never return!"

Back in the town, the captain sank to the ground and lay there unmoving. All was quiet as the sounds from the rest of the village fell silent.

The woman and the tavernkeeper looked at the old woman, then back at each other and started laughing. The old woman turned to look at Zedd as he came out of the tavern. "Wizard, you do good work!" she said admiringly.

"My dear Ophelia, you have a future on the stage," Zedd replied, smiling, and bowing deeply. He stood and waved his hands, and the three villagers saw each others' faces return to normal.

"Well, I'm right glad that's over with," the tavernkeeper said. "It was hard to keep a straight face when Maisie came out of her house like that." He laughed uproariously.

Maisie giggled. She looked over at Captain Warren, who was sitting up, looking around in confusion. "What--?" he said, and several villagers who'd come up grabbed him by the arms, taking his sword. Zedd looked appraisingly at him, and decided to let him suffer with the boils a bit longer.

Richard came out of the tavern, smiling at the celebrating villagers. His smile faded, though, as he looked back toward the north road, not willing to count this a victory until Kahlan and Javan got back safely with the food.

Henrik came running up and grabbed his hand, pumping it up and down like he was trying to get water. "Seeker, you've saved us! We're forever in your debt! How can we ever repay you?"

Richard extricated his hand, and shook his head. "Henrik, you need to thank Zedd. None of this would have worked without him."

Henrik nodded, rushed over to Zedd and began the same speech with him, hand-pumping included. Zedd shot Richard an annoyed look, trying unsuccessfully to extricate his hand from the little man, and Richard winked.

***

Kahlan wasn't having nearly that much fun. She handed another sackful of grain to Javan, who loaded it onto the wagon. They were now up to three wagons full of Hamilton's stolen goods, and had already filled the storeroom with sacks of grain and rotting fruit which smelled horrible. Kahlan was certain she'd have that smell in her nose for weeks.

"Kahlan, we've got this. Why don't you sit down?" Javan said for the third time since she'd made it over to the wagons.

"I'm fine, Javan," she said, though she knew she sounded exhausted. But they were almost done, and she could rest in the wagon on the way back to Hamilton. She went back inside to grab another sack, and nearly jumped when she glanced over at the sleeping soldiers. They had large, open sores on their faces, with black ichor seeping out of them.

Fiona noticed her look. "Yep, they started looking like that a minute ago. Must be Zedd's work."

Kahlan stared at the unconscious men, feeling slightly nauseous. "He said he'd included a surprise. I'm glad I didn't ask what it was." She turned away, grabbing for a basket of apples, and was surprised to find that it was the last one. She was amazed at how heavy it seemed now that she knew she didn't have to lift any more. She carried it out to Javan, and they loaded it on the wagon.

"That's it?" Javan said.

Kahlan nodded tiredly. "Let's get out of here before the other soldiers get back." She climbed into the wagon seat next to Javan and Fiona and they headed for the gate. As they passed through, Garth called down, "Good luck to you!"

Kahlan gave him a radiant smile. "Thank you, Garth. May the spirits guide you."

Javan looked over at her. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he whispered as they rolled forward. "You really trust him?"

Kahlan looked back at him. "Javan, you're talking to a Confessor." She shook her head. "No, there are more soldiers in the D'Haran army who'd be perfectly happy to help the Seeker than you realize. It's just a matter of getting them in the right situation."

They entered the line of trees leading to the track they'd followed around from the north road. Kahlan looked back, thinking she'd heard something. She saw movement, and realized they'd only just made it in time. The soldiers were running raggedly toward the gate. "Open up! Open up, damn you!" one of them yelled, and there was terror in his voice.

"It worked," Kahlan whispered to Javan. "Wait a moment, I have a feeling we're about to see some more fun."

She could see the white of Javan's grin even in the darkness of the forest. They waited a few moments, hearing fragments of conversation, Garth's voice coming faintly through the darkness. Then there was a short period of silence, and then a yell of horror. Soldiers came spilling out of the garrison, running wildly away from it, and away from Hamilton. Fiona chuckled quietly.

"I think it's unlikely that Hamilton will ever see any of those soldiers again," Kahlan whispered, and Javan could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'm wondering if the D'Harans will see any of them again," Fiona whispered back. "You know what Darken Rahl has ordered for men who run from battle."

"Either way, I'm betting Hamilton will be free of D'Harans in general for quite a while." Kahlan turned back to look down the path to the village. "Let's get going. Richard's going to be worried."

Javan snorted. "Oh, now you care about him being worried. Woman, you're going to kill that boy if you keep this up."

Kahlan looked sidelong at Javan in the darkness. "Oh, and Richard's the innocent victim here? As if I don't worry about him?"

Javan laughed. "Okay, okay, you're both bad. Just do me a favor, and when we get back, change into your normal clothes as quick as you can."

"And why is that?" Kahlan said mischievously.

"Because it's not just Richard you're driving mad with that dress—it's me, too," Javan said fervently in his rich baritone voice, his eyes very decidedly on the road ahead. "And I'm a married man."

"I heard that," Fiona said, and Kahlan heard her whack Javan upside the head, and the two of them dissolved into laughter.

Kahlan hid her smile of satisfaction in the darkness.

***


	7. Chapter 7

Cypher's Seven, Chapter 7

The big finish… Thanks again for all the kind reviews, everybody!

Disclaimer: If I owned Richard, Kahlan and Zedd, I wouldn't be posting here. I'd be on a beach in New Zealand…with Craig…and an Epic Pale Ale…and a personal masseur…and a three-inch high slice of New York cheesecake. But all the rest are still mineminemine!!!

********************************************************************************

Richard whirled when he heard the sound of wagons approaching. He ran forward through the small crowd of cheering villagers in the village square to the head wagon. Kahlan, Javan and Fiona were smiling down at everyone from the wagon seat. Richard frowned at Kahlan, noticing that despite her smile, her forehead had the little creases she got when she was worried—or tired. She turned to look at him, and he reached up to lift her to the ground, his hands around her waist.

Fiona elbowed Javan and nodded to the Confessor and the Seeker. Richard didn't seem to be willing to let go of Kahlan just yet, and Kahlan was looking as though she didn't mind that a bit. "You can practically hear the love humming off of them, can't you?" Fiona whispered.

"Not unlike another couple I could name," Javan said, looking lovingly into his wife's eyes before he kissed her soundly, more relieved that she was safe than he was willing to admit.

"Are you all right?" Richard finally asked Kahlan after holding her for a long moment. "You look tired…"

"I'm fine, Richard. It all went off without a hitch," Kahlan said.

"Except for that soldier who almost took off my wife's head," Javan said, clambering down off the wagon, and helping Fiona join them. He turned to look intently at Kahlan. "My thanks to you, Confessor. We all owed you before for everything you've done, but now I have a personal debt. I intend to repay it somehow."

"What--?" Richard began, but Zedd came bustling up with Ophelia and the rest of their troupe in tow.

"Kahlan!" he said. "How did my potion work?"

Kahlan grinned at him. "Exactly how you would expect any sorcery from Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, wizard of the First Order, to work. It was better than advertised."

Zedd preened under the compliment.

Richard sighed in frustration. "How is it that everybody got to do something important in this little adventure but me?" he said to no one in particular.

Javan laughed. "I'd think you'd be glad of the break," he said, clapping Richard on the shoulder. "Isn't it nice to let someone else do the heavy lifting for a change?"

"What do we do with this one?" the tavernkeeper said, coming up and gesturing to the D'Haran captain, who was being dragged behind him by two of the villagers. Another stood nearby, holding the captain's sword uneasily. The D'Haran sagged limply in their hold, and Richard looked to Kahlan.

Kahlan looked at the D'Haran, thinking to herself, _Oh, by all means, let's confess __everybody__! Step right up, don't be shy!_ She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. Richard frowned as he noticed how her shoulders seemed to sink slightly as she stepped forward reluctantly, her arm reaching out to the D'Haran.

"Kahlan, no," Fiona said. "You've already--"

But as Kahlan stepped forward, the D'Haran gave a roar of defiance, flung off the two villagers, and ripped the sword from the hands of the villager who held it, all within an instant. He turned back toward Kahlan, the rest of the villagers stumbling backward in fear. Kahlan reacted slowly, too slowly, and the D'Haran aimed a vicious overhand blow at her as she wrenched herself backwards, tried to regain her footing, then fell, one arm raised to shield herself against the impending blow.

There was a shattering clang of metal on metal, and the Sword of Truth shot sparks into the night inches from Kahlan's upraised arm as Richard held the D'Haran off. He wrenched the two swords up and away from Kahlan, who lay looking wide-eyed up at the two combatants.

The captain broke the deadlock, pulling back and preparing to swing at Richard. Some of the villagers looked as though they might try to stop him, but Richard yelled, "No! He's mine. Stay back!"

The two fighters circled each other, looking for an opening. Javan moved forward, pulling his axe from his belt as Kahlan struggled to her feet with Fiona's help. Zedd put his hand on Javan's arm. "Don't—Richard knows what he's doing," Zedd said.

There was a flurry of strikes and counterstrikes, and the captain stumbled backwards, hissing in pain as blood sprang from a slice across his left arm. He looked down at it, then back at Richard, hatred in his eyes. He roared as he sprang forward again, but Richard easily parried his attack. Blow after blow rained down on Richard, but none connected, and Richard didn't seem to be tiring, or even breaking a sweat.

_If I didn't know better_, Kahlan thought, frowning as she watched from Zedd's side, _I'd think he was putting on a show. But it's Richard. Surely he wouldn't...would he?_

The D'Haran swung wildly at Richard's head, and Richard ducked, stepping under the strike and landing a stunning blow to the captain's jaw with the hilt of his sword. The captain's head rocked back, and he fell backwards, unconscious.

The crowd roared in approval, and Richard smiled, turning to look at Kahlan. He blushed slightly as she shot him a questioning look. _He was!_ she thought, surprised. _He was actually playing to the audience!_

Richard sheathed the Sword of Truth and came to her side. "What was that?" she asked him under her breath.

"What?" he answered, all innocence.

She looked him steadily in the eye. "You know what," she said.

He gave her an embarrassed smile. "Well, I have an image to maintain," he said amid the cheers of the villagers. "Don't I?"

***

A few hours later, after the sun rose, the village held a feast, followed by music and dancing. Kahlan slept through most of it. She'd stumbled into the inn and collapsed tiredly into bed after confessing the D'Haran captain once he'd recovered from Richard's blow.

_I should have just run him through_, Richard thought, dancing with yet another young woman. But he didn't regret his choice as much when he looked at the captain smiling at the dancers. As the music ended, Richard begged off another dance and slipped away to check on Kahlan. She hadn't changed out of the burgundy gown—she'd looked as though she would have gladly fallen asleep on the floor. Or on a bed of nails. As he looked at her sleeping quietly, Richard had to admit that he was a tiny bit glad—he was rather enjoying the view.

Kahlan woke to find Richard gazing intensely at her. _This is getting to be a habit_, she thought, blushing slightly at the attention. He smiled at her, but she noticed that he seemed to be focused very carefully on her face. _Oh_, she thought, and blushed even more. _Apparently Javan was right_, and she felt a little burst of pleasure at the thought that she could inspire that kind of attention from Richard. And for a moment, as she looked into his rich brown eyes, she was able to ignore the other, less pleasant thoughts that usually followed those feelings.

There was a loud cheer from outside, and they could hear Zedd's voice saying something they couldn't make out. The spell was broken, and Kahlan got up, looking out of the corner of her eye at Richard as she did. His eyes tracked her as she moved, and she fought the smile that threatened to sneak out.

"We should--" Richard started to say, and his voice cracked oddly. He cleared his throat. "We should go outside. Javan and Fiona have been worried about you. And the villagers wanted to give their thanks to the Mother Confessor."

Kahlan nodded, suddenly wishing they could just stay there for a while, the two of them. She wasn't fond of the attention of crowds, and she was equally uncomfortable accepting gratitude. But there was nothing for it. "I'd better change," she said, holding out the skirt of her gown with one hand. "Whoever Fiona got this from will be wanting it back."

"Whoever Fiona got that from deserves a medal," Richard said with feeling, and his eyes widened. _Did I say that out loud_? he thought. From the surprised look on Kahlan's face, he had. "I'll…I'll just…wait outside…" he stammered, and escaped out the door, but not before he heard Kahlan's delighted laugh.

He was relieved a few minutes later when Kahlan came out into the town square wearing her normal Confessor's gown. The crowd cheered again, and she smiled, clearly embarrassed.

"Kahlan!" Fiona said, coming forward out of the crowd, followed closely by Javan. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Kahlan said, and Richard felt the old routines reasserting themselves. He shook his head. _Well, it was fun while it lasted_, he thought, ignoring the memory of his uncomfortable jealousy.

There was a surprised and frightened murmur from the villagers, and they parted, revealing three D'Haran soldiers walking into the village square. "Don't worry," Kahlan called over the sound of the crowd. "These men have been Confessed. You have nothing to fear from them."

"My lady," Martin said, kneeling before her. "The other soldiers from the garrison have fled. We followed them as far as the river. I don't think they'll stop running for a good long while."

"Thank you, Martin," Kahlan said, remembering with distaste the smell of his breath as he'd kissed her neck. She shook off the thought. "You men," she gestured, including the three soldiers and the captain, who had come up to kneel before her as well, "will remain here in Hamilton. You will protect this village with your lives, and you will work to help the villagers here in any way you can. Do you understand?"

"Yes, my lady," all four said in unison.

"But what if the D'Harans come back?" Maisie asked, feeling a little less confident about the success of their plan in the light of day. "Four soldiers won't be enough to stop them."

Zedd shook his head. "I doubt if the D'Harans will be back any time soon—Hamilton isn't important enough to expend much manpower on for very long, and they'll think your curse is punishment enough. If you just post warnings outside the line of the fog, I think you'll find the rest of the world will be happy to leave you alone."

"But what about that fog?" the tavernkeeper asked. "How long will it last?"

Zedd looked down his nose at the man. "I am a Wizard of the First Order," he said imperiously. "When I make fog, I make it to last. That fog will be here when your grandchildren are old, when the keep of Aydindril crumbles, when the mountains of--"

"Zedd," Kahlan interrupted. "I think it's time for us to go." He glared at her, but fell silent.

They gathered up their things, and turned to say goodbye to Javan and Fiona. "We could go with you," Fiona said, holding Kahlan's hand as if she were unwilling to let go.

"No," Kahlan said. "Middleton doesn't have any of Zedd's miraculous fog to protect it, only you. We've kept you from that long enough."

"Any time you need us, just send word. We'd fight through the underworld to help you," Javan said roughly, and it was clear to Richard, even without a Confessor's skill, that he meant every word.

The finally set off down the road, Henrik running after them shouting more thanks.

As they rode away from Hamilton, Zedd cleared his throat, and Kahlan turned to look at him questioningly. He nodded subtly at her pack, where a little fold of burgundy silk was peeking out. She blushed, and reached around to tuck it back in. But when she looked up again, Zedd was smiling indulgently at her.

Kahlan was too busy worrying about Zedd to realize that Richard had noticed, too, but his was a completely different kind of smile.


End file.
